guns in the ground
by livelaughlovenarnia
Summary: 2x16 Spoilers. Bellamy confronts Clarke when they get back to Camp Jaha. Bellarke. Alternate ending.


**A/N: In honor of last night's wonderful season finale, I feel that it is my duty as a writer to try and make your 7-month hiatus a little better. This is a little AUish, but who honestly cares because it's bellarke. If you haven't seen 2x16, Blood Must Have Blood Part 2, THEN YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED BECAUSE THERE ARE SPOILERS. Btw, the title is a lyric from "Knocking On Heaven's Door" which is the score during this scene.**

**Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own The 100 or its characters. **

Bellamy scanned the crowd, mentally taking account of everyone passing through the doors of Camp Jaha. Yes, he was aware that he was being very paranoid, but that didn't mean he didn't want to accidentally leave anyone behind.

Then his eyes found her.

Clarke was in the midst of hugging a wary Monty. He slowly made his way over to them, watching as they broke apart from their embrace. As Monty wrapped his cardigan closer around him, he exchanged a small smile with Bellamy, leaving him alone with Clarke.

His heart pounded rapidly against his chest as he took a place beside her, watching as the rest of their people entered through the gates of their haven. "I think we deserve a drink." Bellamy mused, breaking their silence.

Clarke's face was passive, devoid of all emotion, though her eyes held a fleeting moment of pain. "Have one for me." His heart lurched at her words, panic filling him slowly.

"Hey. We can get through this." He replied, trying to soothe her worries. Of course she was still distraught about what happened at Mt. Weather, no one could blame her. Except herself, which was exactly what she was doing.

Regret took over Clarke's emotions as she licked her lips, saying softly, "I'm not going in." Bellamy turned to face her, his eyes flitting over her face, searching. Words she had spoken to him echoed through his mind and he knew he had to try and regift her own advice.

"Look, if you need forgiveness, I'll give that to you. You're forgiven." He said firmly, looking straight into her eyes. Recognition flashed over her eyes before she looked away, towards Camp Jaha.

Bellamy moved so that he was a fraction closer and in her line of view. "Please, come inside." he cajoled. Clarke continued to look straight ahead, pensive, before turning to look at him finally.

Her voice wavered just the slightest as she asked, "Take care of them for me?" His chest ached from the panicked beats of his heart. "Clarke–" She cut him off, the emotion very pronounced in her wavering voice.

"Seeing their faces everyday, will only remind me of what I did to get them here." It hurt him to see her like this. The Clarke Griffin he had first met was so long gone, and all that was left were chipped broken pieces of a girl who had grown up too fast and seen too many horrors.

But Bellamy knew—or hoped—that maybe he could help share the burden she was stacking on her shoulders. "What _we _did. You don't have to do this alone." he implored.

Clarke looked away from him, staring out at her people, at her mother who was being fussed over by Kane and Jackson. Finally, she said, "I bear it so that they don't have to." He tried to think of something, anything, to stall her, to get more time to think of a plan to get her to stay.

"Where're you gonna go?" he asked. Clarke opened her mouth, but nothing came out. She looked incredibly lost and a little scared. "I don't know." she whispered. His heart crawled into his throat as he watched tears forming in her eyes.

To his immense surprise, she leaned up and kissed his cheek gingerly before giving him a hug. A tear rolled down his opposite cheek as he gently returned her gesture, his fingers tangled in her blonde hair.

"May we meet again." she whispered in his ear. His throat felt like it was being clogged with the unshed tears, unable to reply in words. She let go of him and started to walk away.

That's when his senses kicked in.

"Clarke, wait!" He called, whipping around and running after her. She turned around slowly to see him race up to her, crushing her in another hug. "Please don't leave again. Please. This burden is not just yours. We ended this mess together and I won't let you shoulder it all."

"Bellamy–" Clarke pleaded into his shoulder. He wouldn't let her continue, not this time. "No, it's my turn to talk. We are in this together, Clarke. Whether you like it or not. It's been this way since we first made it to the Ground. And I won't let you suffer anymore. Please just let me help you. Stay, and we can face this together."

He pulled away so that she was at an arm's length, his hands resting firmly upon each shoulder. "I don't know, Bellamy." Clarke sighed. She looked so tired, carrying problems much too complex for an eighteen-year-old. "I can't run this place without you, Princess." he tried one more time.

The nickname that had once been one out of spite was now one of endearment brought a slow smile across Clarke's face. Bellamy was sure that he had struck gold.

"Okay. I'll stay."


End file.
